The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia has included alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in the List of parallel imports

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation has amended the List of goods in respect of which the requirements for the protection of intellectual property rights by copyright holders (patent holders) are not applied, which was put into circulation outside the territory of the Russian Federation (full text at the link).

The list is supplemented by a number of brands of alcoholic beverages, for example, Bell’s, Sheridan’s, Jose Cuervo and others (a group of HS codes of the EAEU 2208), which will saturate the assortment of stores with these products. At the same time, the mechanism of parallel import will apply to those alcoholic beverages that are not currently produced in Russia. Import incentives are aimed at those niches in which Russian production cannot yet fully meet the needs of industrial enterprises and end consumers. At the same time, the internal demand for wine, cognac and other alcoholic products is completely closed.

Recall that there are clear criteria for including/excluding a particular brand from the relevant List: if a company has left the Russian market, stopped deliveries, closed its production in Russia, such brands are included in the List for parallel imports. If foreign Partners faithfully fulfill contractual obligations, products in sufficient quantities are presented on the shelf and delivered to our enterprises – products are excluded from the List.

The list was also supplemented with brands of automotive spare parts, chemical industry products, toys and other goods. So, by parallel import, it will now be possible to supply products with the trademarks Marvel, Disney Pixar, DC Comics and others.

Order No. 4456 of 21.10.2022 with all the indicated changes was registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

In the future, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, together with other departments, will continue to monitor the situation with imports and, if necessary, certain items will be added or excluded from the list.